You’re having lunch with a friend in one of your (16) …. places to eat, there’s nothing novel about the (17) …. or the events that (18) … around you, and you know the menu pretty well. This leaves you to concentrate on the conversation, and you and your friend cover all the topics you normally do, from movies and restaurants to politics and (19)…. . It’s the usual sort of conversation the two of you have and there’s little that’s really (20) …. . But think about this: the two of you are able to talk (21) …. without ever giving a single thought to how you’re able to do that. Forget all the factors that might determine what you’re going to discuss, like when you last got together and what’s happening to both of you. Just think about the mechanics of the conversation: the way that you take turns – you talk and then your friend talks, then you, then your friend. The most (22) …. aspect of a conversation is how these turns are taken but it is hard to say how this process actually works.
(23) …. , you and your friend do take turns and those turns are (24) …. choreographed. Long pauses are awkward, and in most cases, very few gaps will appear in this conversation. Instead, you finish speaking, and without giving you time for a breath, your friend starts. Remember, in an hour-long lunch, there’s a lot of (25)…. in switching back and forth. The puzzle is, how do the two of you manage it?
(16) FAVOUR

(17) SURROUND

(18) FOLD

(19) RELATE

(20) SURPRISE

(21) CONTINUE

(22) ELEMENT

(23) OBVIOUS

(24) BEAUTY

(25) PRECISE